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Hey how many of you out there have worked on marketing this sorry brand Hank's only to have it turned over to your competition who then is so lame that they cannot open many new accounts and thus send their clowns to try to eat up the ones that you had created?

If anyone is interested in a list of replacement brands in 12oz longneck glass for each and every one of the Hank's flavors let me know and I'll be happy to supply the list. Also for anyone interested I can palletize a mishmash of replacement brands and ship anywhere.

My experience out here is that except for a few cheapskate retailers who sucked bargains out of the sales reps to keep it on, it has been successfully replaced in over 95% of the outlets. Fortunately Hank's is not one of the better lines of products on the market so it's relatively easy to convince people to switch to something better.

So remember... when you see Hank's,... say "No Thanks"!!

Keep in mind that the King Of Pop\'s crown is not made from a bunch of melted aluminum cans!

Did they switch to Wine Warehouse or one of the beer distributors. I heard Extreme Beverage was loosing the brand, but didnt know were it was going. I say replace all the hanks with Spreachers...I love that soda.

To answer Ron, yes they gave an exclusive to the Whine Whorehouse without even having the decency to inform their distributors of their actions; the way most of us found out was when our customers started asking us why these whine people were calling them to offer Hank's "intro deals" to places that have been selling it for three years already. Also they're only carrying half of the flavors and I think pretty much any unlicensed account will drop the product like a hot potato. To top that, alot of their licensed customers don't particularly like them as distributors and don't like their attitude of going after the people who built the brand.

As for Dr Pepperman's deathwatch question... well, I don't know if this will bankrupt Hank's but it will surely kill their West Coast sales and will embarrass them in the bottled soft drink realm. And of course I won't be sorry to see them being replaced by products from manufacturers which are more decent and appreciative of the efforts of the people who build their brands. Funny that Hank's was flopping all along with their sales to foodservice companies as well as convenience stores; dumped product all over the place and now they nailed the coffin by managing to pick about the worst option out there. Look at what the WW did to Bundaberg... makes you wonder how Hank's could be so ignorant as to go with the same people, regardless of whether or not they have any appreciation for the people who have worked their brand all along.

Of course, my 'complaint/gripe/rant' is that their decision affects our business a little bit and it limits our ability to offer our customers precisely what they want. On the other hand, our customers by and large can do without Hank's and are turned off by all that has gone down. I just can't help thinking about how completely stupid this decision was across the board; someone over there is either just too desperate to shoot in the dark or is just dumb or ill-informed.

Keep in mind that the King Of Pop\'s crown is not made from a bunch of melted aluminum cans!

Yeah, I would have to say if you have a good import wine or beer, and are targeting your high class markets and also need grocery distro., then Wine Werehouse might be a good choice. But for a non alc, and a beverage that does not have huge market penatration here in the west, W.W. is not a good option, at least to grow your busines its not.

You know, the WW even has a really nice rep in the South Bay whose license plate is BUY WINE. But yes, they are good with wines but not much beyond that and perhaps some beers. Anyway that's not really the main point. The thing is, Hank's already should have learned a lesson by flopping with Haralambos and all the foodservice companies and having all those public warehouses in the West and it's like they are just their own worst enemies. It's amazing how what took three years to build has been over 95% replaced within three months. Bundaberg was much harder to swallow; sure WW destroyed that too but the customers really missed that one. WW is a prime example of a place that would best be a subjobber of NA's from a company that specializes in soft drinks, much like many of the foodservice companies are starting to realize.

Keep in mind that the King Of Pop\'s crown is not made from a bunch of melted aluminum cans!